Thanks so much for stopping by and please feel free to make my day by leaving me a comment, joining my blog in the top right corner or liking my on Facebook at MyEpicureanAdventures - the more the merrier! :)

Christine, aka happyvballgirl :)

Here are some items used in this post. To see a full list of my favorite bento gear and such, just visit my "Products I Love" page! :) Any purchases made through these links earns me a little extra cash to support my bento habit, which my hubby would really appreciate. haha! So thank you!!! if you choose to use any of 'em! :)

Friday, September 18, 2015

I was a single mom this week with the hubby out of town for work, so I kept things nice and simple. :)

1. MONDAY: The girls wanted sandwiches on white bread today. These are ham, cheese and salami. Big Sis' has lettuce and mayo, too. Accompanied by White Cheddar Cheez-Its, an orange, canned carrots, Pretzel Crisps with a cheese stick and a new flavor of Little Bites - Party cakes. Woo hoo!

2. TUESDAY - Little Sis will eat pasta every day if I let her, but she knows I won't let her, so today is the day she chose her favorite: homemade fettuccine I made over the weekend as a special treat for playing hard in her first soccer game of the season. It was served in her usual way with butter, bacon and a side of shaved parmesan cheese. Sorry, it's not shown, but I didn't want to let the heat escape while I took pix. Sides were tomatoes, mozzarella, basil with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, pretzel crisps, a mozzarella stick, Peeled Snacks' Apple Clusters and her new favorite treat: Little Bites Party Cakes. Big Sis got something similar but sugar snap peas instead of the salad.

3. WEDNESDAY: They wanted sandwiches again so I jazzed it up a bit with some musical picks. Perfect for Piano Lesson Wednesdays! :) Also with tomato/mozzarella/basil salad, strawberries, carrots and ranch, Pringles and 2 Mint Milano cookies from Pepperidge Farms.

4. THURSDAY: Their new fave way of making pizza lunchables, thanks to my new bento book from Anna of Becoming a Bentoholic, using whole wheat English muffins. Funny they don't want wheat bread for sandwiches anymore, but they don't even notice that this muffin is whole wheatier than the sandwich bread. So, English muffin with Applegate pepperoni, shredded mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, sugar snap peas, mini pretzel crisps with hummus in the mini container and a applesauce on the side.

5. FRIDAY: Don't want to be creative and just want to crank em out, so tried and true cheese and cracker lunchables are what they got. Can you tell that they've been on a big Little Bits kick, too? :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and please feel free to make my day by leaving me a comment, joining my blog in the top right corner or liking my on Facebook at MyEpicureanAdventures - the more the merrier! :)

Christine, aka happyvballgirl :)

Here are some items used in this post. To see a full list of my favorite bento gear and such, just visit my "Products I Love" page! :) Any purchases made through these links earns me a little extra cash to support my bento habit, which my hubby would really appreciate. haha! So thank you!!! if you choose to use any of 'em! :)

My favorite Bento supplier @ All Things For Sale. Just click on the pix to view/purchase now! :)

With that, I'm ready for the weekend!! Hope you guys have a great one! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and please feel free to make my day by leaving me a comment, joining my blog in the top right corner or liking my on Facebook at MyEpicureanAdventures - the more the merrier! :)

Christine, aka happyvballgirl :)

Here are some items used in this post. To see a full list of my favorite bento gear and such, just visit my "Products I Love" page! :) Any purchases made through these links earns me a little extra cash to support my bento habit, which my hubby would really appreciate. haha! So thank you!!! if you choose to use any of 'em! :)

A lunch box container and lid. The lunch box itself is divided into 3 compartments: one large 3-cup compartment and 2 small 0.75 cup compartments. The lid is leak-proof and holds...

Two removable ice packs, one large, one small, that snaps right into the lid.

Two small 0.5 cup bento pods also with leakproof lids.

An insulated travel bag that snuggly holds the lunch box in a variety of fun designs.

All lunch box pieces are BPA & PVC-Free and the ice packs are non-toxic and freezer safe. Plastic containers are microwave, freezer and top rack dishwasher safe!

This bento kit came to me at just about the perfect time... just as Big Sis was starting up middle school. With middle school came a much heavier back pack filled with lots of folders, binders, notebooks, gym clothes and other stuff that just packed it full and heavy. There no longer was any room to fit the bulky lunch bag from her leisurely elementary school days. haha. Plus, she was now lugging around a French Horn, too (her choice to join band, not mine! lol), which meant she couldn't carry her lunch bag separately either. Her eating habits changed a bit too. I no longer packed her a big lunch with lots of snacks, nor a treat because she just couldn't handle waiting to eat her treat after her lunch. She's still very much a light eater and would often times fill up on her treat, bringing a good portion of her lunch back. Grrrr! On top of that, snack time (yes, they STILL have snack time in middle school!!!!) was kinda close to lunch which meant there was danger of filling up on snacks before lunch! So, I simplified her lunch, making sure snacks were fairly healthy and light and just put it all in her lunch box, so she could start nibbling on her lunch at snack time and finish it at lunch time.

This bento lunch kit was the perfect solution to all that. Here are some of the biggest PRO's for me:

The bento box is compact yet can hold quite a bit of food. The way the box is shaped and divided, there is no wasted space in it. There is a LOT of room to work with which makes it pretty versatile.

The divided box helps keep food separated - a big must for Big Sis! And the compartments are plenty big for favorite sides and snacks.

The bento pods are a nice option to pack juicy foods or for further separation by placing them in the large compartment. They are big enough to hold generous portions of food.

I love how big the large compartment is. There's room to hold a regular sized sandwich with plenty of space around the sides to pack even more stuff in, using the bento pods themselves or fun silicone cup dividers. This way you can easily turn it into a 4-5-6 way divided lunch box!

Allows me to pack virtually waste-free (ie trashless) lunches. This is of paramount importance to me!! I constantly strive to reduce-reuse-recycle. This is my way of reducing and reusing. :)

Allows me to make the girls' lunches interesting and fun yet so easy to pack. People always think I spend SO much time making lunches, when in fact it only takes 10-15 mins TOPS to make two! I would never want to spend more than that on them, yet bento boxes just make 'em look fancy, like you've spent an hour on them. lol.

This easy-access lunch kit makes it easier for my girls to eat lunch in the short amount of time they are given in school. It's all just right there in front of 'em!

The insulated bag is compact and light and fits perfectly in Big Sis' already full back pack.

The insulated bag also comes in some really really cute designs! :)

And along with the pros, here are a few CON's to keep in mind:

The insulated bag is very simple. Though it has a handle for carrying, it has no pockets and the bento box fits very snugly in the bag. There isn't much extra space to fit anything else other that what fits inside the lunch box. BUT... I AM able to sneak in a granola bar and a bag small bag of snacks on top of it... which is just perfect for us.

Although the lid to the bento box is leak-proof, the divided compartments are not leak-proof to each other, particularly between the two small compartments. If you're like me and don't always use ice packs, there is about a centimeter-sized gap between the top of the lid and the top of the lunch box dividers of the two small compartments. Here, small-sized snacks or crumbs may find their way into the other compartment. But that is totally where those leak-proof bento pods come in handy.

The ice packs are a neat idea. It's cool how they fit into compartments in the lid, but I find that I don't use them that way very often because it's just one more thing for me to wash since they come into contact w/ the food. If you're not lazy like me, then use as is. They help keep a tighter fit to the lid, as well as keep food chilled. But if you ARE like me, just put them on top of the lid and only wash 'em once a week. lol.

Here are some lunches I've made for my girls using my new Fit & Fresh Bento Lunch Kits:

You, too, can be a proud owner of this versatile lunch kit and some cool sunglasses coolers! Purchase them now by clicking these links:

This giveaway is open to contestants with US shipping addresses only. ONE winner will be notified and will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received, a new winner will be selected. Fit & Fresh will be responsible for mailing the winner their prize. Giveaway ends at 11:59, EST, on Wednesday night, 09/16/15. Good luck!

Thanks so much for stopping by and please feel free to make my day by leaving me a comment, joining my blog in the top right corner or liking my on Facebook at MyEpicureanAdventures - the more the merrier! :)

Christine, aka happyvballgirl :)

Here are some items used in this post. To see a full list of my favorite bento gear and such, just visit my "Products I Love" page! :) Any purchases made through these links earns me a little extra cash to support my bento habit, which my hubby would really appreciate. haha! So thank you!!! if you choose to use any of 'em! :)

My favorite Bento supplier @ All Things For Sale. Just click on the pix to view/purchase now! :)

I received 2 Fit & Fresh Bento Lunch Kits and a set of Cool Coolers for review. No financial compensation was received. All opinions are my own, based on my use of the products.Affiliate links are used on this blog. :)

Over the weekend, we had a few of Big Sis' soccer teammates over for a carbo-loading dinner, just before hitting a Carolina Railhawks' (North American Soccer League) game, to get 'em ready for their 2-day tournament over the weekend. I served whole wheat pasta with homemade Alfredo sauce and whole wheat French Bread with broccoli and grapes. I guess I was a bit over-zealous as I warmed up 2 loaves of bread when they barely got through one. What was a girl to do with all that leftover bread? Well, come this morning, it hit me: French Bread Pizza of course!

It was so easy to throw together - sauce, cheese, and topping of choice. For Little Sis, it was mushrooms and Big Sis got pepperoni, baked at 300 for about 7-10 mins in our toaster oven. It filled the house with delicious pizza smells that all of our mouths were watering and it was all I could do to keep Big Sis from eating hers for breakfast. lol.

In this lunch:

French bread pizza

Organic Red Seedless Grapes

Carrots and sugar snap peas with ranch

Annie's Homegrown Cheddar Bunnies

Kids' Clif Protein Bar

Beef Jerky for a little added protein

Organic Grape Juice and a little treat as I RARELY pack juice in their lunches.

When I packed these lunches this morning, I made sure to let the pizzas cool off as much as possible so they wouldn't get all soggy sitting in their own steam all sealed up in our EasyLunchboxes. They'll end up eating the pizzas at room temp, but they never seem to mind warmish pizza. I guess cause it is pizza afterall! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and please feel free to make my day by leaving me a comment, joining my blog in the top right corner or liking my on Facebook at MyEpicureanAdventures - the more the merrier! :)

Christine, aka happyvballgirl :)

Here are some items used in this post. To see a full list of my favorite bento gear and such, just visit my "Products I Love" page! :) Any purchases made through these links earns me a little extra cash to support my bento habit, which my hubby would really appreciate. haha! So thank you!!! if you choose to use any of 'em! :)

Saturday, September 5, 2015

1. MONDAY: Ramen! The girls both wanted ramen for lunch today, so I said, oh, ok. They don't eat it very often, but do love it so. Made it with an egg and only half the seasoning packet so it's that no horrible. lol. Along with the ramen, Little Sis had sugar snap peas, grapes, Peeled Snacks Apple clusters, Pretzel Crisps with a cheese stick and Dark Chocolate Milano cookies in our Thermos Funtainer, LunchBots Quad and Blue Avocado reusable snack bag.

2. TUESDAY: Both wanted cheese and cracker luncheables. Sweet! So easy! This time they wanted it "neat", so here it is our Easylunchbox with crackers, cheese, ham and salami, sugar snap peas with ranch, watermelon, Veggie Straws and Gripz for a treat.

3. WEDNESDAY: Sandwiches were what the girls wanted and sandwiches are what they got. Ham, cheese, salami for Little Sis on Nature's Own butter bread, with grapes, carrots and sugar snap peas with ranch, Pringles, homemade chocolate chip banana bread and Chips Ahoy for a treat in our Fit & Fresh lunch box.

4. THURSDAY: Today the girls were in the mood for pasta with butter, bacon and parmesan cheese. Left the lid on today to keep the heat in. Served with strawberries, beef jerky for a little extra protein, canned carrots, White Cheddar Cheez-Its and graham crackers with dark chocolate chips. In our LunchBots Quad, Thermos Funtainer and Blue Avocado reusable snack bag.

Thanks so much for stopping by and please feel free to make my day by leaving me a comment, joining my blog in the top right corner or liking my on Facebook at MyEpicureanAdventures - the more the merrier! :)

Christine, aka happyvballgirl :)

Here are some items used in this post. To see a full list of my favorite bento gear and such, just visit my "Products I Love" page! :) Any purchases made through these links earns me a little extra cash to support my bento habit, which my hubby would really appreciate. haha! So thank you!!! if you choose to use any of 'em! :)